Banglamung to exceed budget for 1997

Chatpong Chatphut, Banglamung District Chief.

Chatpong Chatphut, Banglamung District Chief, reported that in 1997 Banglamung District has many projects which need funding.
The Government has thus decided to allot funds over and above the yearly budget for the district. These funds are for projects within the Banglamung Municipality and all other municipalities in the district.
This allotment of funds is now in the consideration stage by the Central Municipality budget office.
The main project to be funded is a new district office. This endeavour is being pushed through by Mps from Chonburi. The new offices will be modern, three storey buildings for the edification of the public. There will also a connected Sala.
This project will cost in excess of 20 million baht. Construction will begin at the end of 1997 and be completed by the beginning of 1998.
Another project is the Eastern Seaboard development. There will be a budget for this, 10 million baht of which will be used in the Huay Yai area. The rest will be used in Pong Municipality for 3 additional projects. This will total about 20 million baht.
All these projects and the funds for them are gifts to our brothers and sisters as a happy 1997 bonus for Banglamung.

District chief receives plaudits

Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat (centre) extends his thanks and a basket of flowers to Banglamung District Chief Chatpong Chatphoot for his efforts in making Pattaya a respectable city.

On January 8th, a group of local business people presented Banglamung District Chief Chatpong Chatphoot with a basket of flowers in recognition his policies to wipe out sex shows and to bar minors (those under 18 years of age) from working or entering entertainment establishments.
This will be done by carefully examining the ID cards of all who appear to be underage. Those found employing minors or allowing them into their establishments will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
The Chief’s closing of a sex show venue was a good thing, said the representatives of the business community, and crime fighting should continue without fear of any “dark influences”.
Pattaya Mayor Pairat Suthithamrongsawat spoke on behalf of the people saying that he backed the district chief 100% and he would extend his help in making Pattaya a respectable city.

Unidentified corpse recovered

Ms. Tuan Thongrord, 58, a Banglamung resident, reported to local police that she had found a headless corpse in the woods near her home. She said she had gone to the small forest to gather wild fruits when she smelled a foul odour like that of decomposing flesh. Upon following the scent, she came upon the corpse and ran to police.
She led police to the scene where they found the headless body of a foreigner lying face down on a grassy area. The body had been doused with gas and set aflame. The lower body was covered with third degree burns.
Nearby, police found a hoe and a shovel which were stained with blood. Their preliminary assumption before tests was that these were the murder weapons.
At first, police were not sure of the race of the victim. But after examining the back they found the skin was of a light yellow-pink and the body hair was blonde. The victim was also over 180 centimetres tall which lead police to initially assume the victim to be European.
Police conjecture that not less than two people were involved in committing the murder. They also believe that the victim was murdered in another area and the body taken to the woods and set on fire.
Officers also say that the reason for the decapitation was to hinder police in their identification of the victim. Officers admit that this makes it very difficult for them as they have no outstanding characteristics or dental records to use in their investigations.
Police say that this and the other dismemberment crimes show the perpetrators to be psychopathic. Police psychiatrists will have to be called in to help in unravelling these gruesome murders.

Husband and wife arrested for selling drugs

Thaweep and Pia Nopprasert, a husband and wife team operating out of their home in Nongprue Municipality, were arrested by police for selling amphetamines.
Police learned of the couple’s activities from an informant who said they were selling the tablets with apparently no fear of the law. The police consequently set up a ‘stake-out’ near the couples’ residence, and after watching the behaviour near and around the house, decided that their source had given them the correct information.
Police stormed the house and found two plastic bags full of a new type of amphetamine-stimulant tablets of an orange colour. In all, police found more than 100 tablets.
The couple admitted to selling the drug, telling police they had received a delivery of three or four hundred tablets, but had already sold most of them to their regular customers.
They said they bought the drug for 20 baht a tablet and retailed it at 80 baht per tablet.
The two face charges of possession of amphetamines with the intent to sell. If convicted, under the new Thai law they could face the death penalty.

Murder in South Pattaya

On December 30th, 1996, Pattaya law enforcement officers received a report of a murder near the Shrine of the Goddess Tabtim, which is next to Pattaya Pier.
Arriving on the scene, police found the body of a Thai man between 25 and 30 years of age. Wounds from a blow with a blunt instrument were found on his jaw and pubic area. No identification or personal valuables were found. The body had tattoos in the image of dragons encircling both arms. His chest was tattooed with the words “Tell the world that I don’t die easily. No matter how many times I die I can’t do without you”. The victim was slender and approx. 170 centimetres in height.
Police found a Phalad Khik or wooden phallus about 75 centimetres in length next to the body. The Khik was blood-stained and officers found strands of hair on it. It was kept for evidence.
From questioning Mr. Suchart Saengthong, 21, a Khlong Toey resident of Bangkok, police learned that before the murder, the victim had ordered a group of young people, with whom he sniffed glue, to go out and pick some tourist’s pockets in order to get money to buy more glue. After giving the orders, the victim physically abused the young people to get his point across.
Suchart also said that the victim had been a tattoo ‘artist’ and had tattooed teenagers and tourists who had a predilection for traditional Thai tattoos. He had been in competition with a man named Torm (surname unknown.) who had also plied this trade near the shrine. Suchart said that the victim and Torm had many arguments over the victim’s extortion of the younger street kids around the shrine.
Police have yet to find Torm and the group of usual sniffers.
This area around the tourist pier is infamous for incidents in which glue sniffers have demanded money of tourists and if refused have beaten and robbed them. No matter how many times the police have raided the area, they can’t seem to get rid of these undesirable elements. So beatings continue to go on less than 20 metres away from law enforcement officials.

MPs thank media

Members of Parliament give a New Year’s thank you party to members of the media.

On January 6th, at the Cosy Beach Hotel, Mr. Charnsak Chavalitnititham, MP Chonburi, and 5 other MPs gave a thank you party for the Media.
Television, radio and newspaper reporters were invited and the party was to thank them for their support and contributions to society. There was a lucky draw for members of the media. Somchai Khun-pluem, Mayor of Bangsaen, sent polo shirts as New Year’s gifts for all media members.

Jealousy leads to brawl

Martin Thomas pays damages to the injured party after a misunder-standing involving a bar-girl led to a brawl.

Police, responding to a report that two foreign nationals were involved in a fist fight at the Hi-Five Hotel, found Martin Thomas, 32, and Heinz Goldman, 42, both German nationals, engaged in nose bending activities.
After separating the two, police learned the pugilistic outbreak was due to a silly misunderstanding involving a local bar-girl. Apparently, Thomas thought that Goldman had been sleeping with his girlfriend, Vanida, who had refused to return to Thomas’ room. When Thomas went to visit Goldman, he found his beloved Vanida asleep in the room. He then went and beat up on Goldman.
Afterward, Goldman said that he had seen Vanida in conversation with his own girlfriend, and when Vanida complained of sleepiness, he allowed her to stay in the room while he and his girlfriend went downstairs to have a drink. He said he didn’t know that Thomas was the jealous type.
After hearing this story a contrite Thomas was asked to pay 5,000 baht in damages to Goldman, which he did willingly. The two fighters were then fined 500 baht each.

Raid on sex-show bar

Police confiscate props used in the sex-show.

On January 7th, Pattaya police, led by Banglamung District Chief Chatpong Chatphoot, raided the ‘Dirt Scene Show Bar’, an entertainment venue which specialised in lewd and lascivious shows.
They didn’t exactly have an easy time of it, however. When police tried to enter the establishment the owner locked the door and told them to beat it. There were more than 200 tourists locked inside, but apparently they didn’t notice that police had come as they were too engrossed in the activities on stage.
Finally, the District Chief intervened and begged the owner to open the door. The proprietor became very annoyed with this and a verbal volley of insults ensued through the locked door. After a long argument, the owner gave in and allowed officials inside.
After letting the tourists out, the police made an inspection of the premises, questioned the manager and maitre-‘d, Messrs. Jamnien Charoensuk and Saiyan Kinkla, and found that the establishment had exhibited all the usual strange activities that women do with various parts of their anatomy, and a heterosexual intercourse show.
They also questioned 4 ladies who were in the show and confiscated their gynaecological toys.
All were taken to the Pattaya Police Station where they were charged with operating without a license and lewd and lascivious behaviour in public.

Police bag snatch and run thief

Herbert Ausli, victim of a snatch and run thief, retrieves his belongings from Pattaya police as the arrested looks on.

Responding to a report from a German tourist who had just been robbed by a snatch and run thief, police went to the scene and were able to apprehend the culprit, Chavalit Mutingarm, 22.
The victim, Herbert Ausli, told police that he was sunbathing on the beach in the area of Soi 1 in North Pattaya with his bag resting near his head. He said that all of a sudden he looked up and saw a Thai man running away with it.
Police took his description and proceeded to canvass the area. They eventually found Chavalit, who appeared to be acting suspiciously. When they approached him, he tried to run away and leave on a motorcycle taxi, but police were able to surround him and take him back to the scene.
When the victim saw him, he immediately pointed him out as the culprit. After checking the bag, the tourist confirmed that all his possessions were there.
It turns out that Chavalit was a former convict with a long history of recidivism. He brazenly told police that this was the easiest way he could think of to make money and he didn’t care if he was arrested as prison was a bagatelle to him. What goes in, must come out, he said. It was his destiny.

Russian suicide in South Pattaya

A sad incident was reported to Pattaya police on the 24th of December. The Pattaya Memorial Hospital told police that a foreign woman had fallen off a building and died. The body had been brought to the hospital where it was pronounced DOA.
The Sawang Boriboon Foundation reported that they had brought the body from a new high-rise resort near Jomtien Beach. Employees of the hotel told police that the dead woman was Elena Verkova (sic), a Russian national who had come to Pattaya with her boyfriend, Duret Czar, 28, on a tour. They had rented a room on the 10th floor on December 21st.
Duret, also a Russian, told police that before the fall Elena had gone to swim in the pool and upon returning asked Duret why he had gone to Bangkok for so many days. A lover’s argument ensued during which Elena accused Duret of being so interested in Thai women that he didn’t care about her. If he didn’t love her, she’d rather die. As she said this, she walked out on to the balcony and climbed up onto the railing. She then jumped, landing on a 5th floor balcony, dying on impact.
The body was sent for autopsy and her relatives were notified to come and collect her remains.

Police raid Naklua gambling den

The Crime Suppression Division of the Police Department sent out a force of over 20 officers to raid an infamous den which specialises in slot machine-like gambling devices. The den was located in the Pattaya Sauna in Naklua.
Police found over 60 people betting on these machines and confiscated the sum of 13,570 baht, along with 14 boxing gaming machines, 7 ball gaming machines and a 21 inch colour television set. This was all kept as evidence.
The 60 gamblers were loaded in to a tour bus, which had been made ready for the bust and taken to Bangkok, along with the owner, Songla Nilkamhaeng. This was without consulting the Pattaya police, whose jurisdiction the den was in.
The Crime Suppression Division is charging all with conspiracy to smuggle gambling devices into the area for the purpose of taking people’s money in an illegal fashion.

Bangkok police raid a Naklua gambling den.

French paederast arrested in Pattaya

On January 11th, Lt. Commander Jongsak Yaemla-mool, Commander of the Tourist Police for Pattaya received a report from Mr. Suphakorn Nojao, an official of the Pattaya’s Children’s Home, that a European was engaging in sexual activity with children under the age of 14 years at the Suphamit Villa Hotel, Nongprue, Banglamung.
The Commander ordered a squad of officers, under the leadership of Officer Chalieow Srichong, to the scene.
Police burst into room 203 of the hotel and found Mr. Denis Maurice, 48, a French national with a boy of 14. The police found the two engaging in sexual activity and arrested the man.
At first, Maurice said that he had not engaged in sexual activity with the boy but rather the boy had asked to use Maurice’s room to bathe. After this the boy said that Maurice had approached him and offered him 500 baht to for sex.
Maurice is now facing charges for the molestation of a child under 14 and the boy’s parents have been summoned by police to take the child after he has been given advice and guidance by social workers.
If no one comes to claim the child, he will be sent to the Pong children’s home for custodial care.

Tragic fire in noodle shop

January 12: Pattaya Police were called to the scene of a fire blazing in a 3 storey row of shop houses on Pattaya 2nd Road. The individual who called police told them that they were afraid that people were inside the building.
Pattaya fire-fighters and police hurried to the scene along with 6 fire trucks. Upon arriving, the fire had spread from the 2nd to the third floor. While searching the second floor, police found the body of Mr. Vichai Suthat, 21, in a bathroom.
Ascending to the third floor, the Sawang Boriboon Foundation found the bodies of 3 more victims, Visut Thanaratnukul, 55, and his two sons Suvicharn Thanarat-nukul, 22, and Suvichit Thanaratnukul, 18.
Ms. Phromma Thanarat-nukul, 47, the wife of Mr. Visut, was also injured in the fire.
From questioning, police learned that the Thanaratkul family owned a noodle shop on Pattaya 2nd Road in South Pattaya. After closing their shop for the night the family had thrown a party for themselves and their employees to celebrate the New Year. The family’s employees had gone home and the family was asleep when the fire started. They were apparently unaware of the fire until it was too late.
From evidence, police officials surmise that the family panicked and ran in all directions, were overcome by smoke and succumbed to the flames.
A husband and wife who lived in the shop house next door told police that as soon as they smelled the smoke they ran downstairs with their child and were fortunately not hurt. They then began calling for help from nearby houses.
Police believe that the fire started from either a short circuit or one of the family members had been careless with a cigarette.

In need of promotion

Editorial
Pattaya proves yet once again that we are capable of doing things that even other world class resorts only dream about. We have been hosts to a variety of seminars on every theme possible, including the best of all tourism marts. Our festivals are advertised all over the world and are events that have caught on not only for foreign visitors but also for locals alike.
This year a great dream was realised, to hold the First Pattaya Carnival. It took years of planning and hard work by people who really cared and have worked so hard to see that Pattaya joins the ranks of other fine resorts in the world. The dream came true, only to be rudely spoilt by others who have no idea of how to follow through. Why is it that when you give some people a piece of solid gold, it turns to dust when placed in such incompetent hands. We are talking about an international event, organised by some very professional people. It would be understandable if this was planned by amateurs but in reality this was not so.
One of the very important aspects of making any event successful is the effort put into it’s promotion. Sadly this was lacking to a point of nonexistence. Where were the posters and the announce-ments in the media? Pattaya boasts a very high content of expats who would have thoroughly enjoyed this event. Their word of mouth alone would have made the difference. But all you heard was “What Carnival?” “Where is the Carnival?” The media received press releases on the morning of the first day of the carnival. These should have been long in the planning, getting into the hands of people who could have promoted this event weeks, if not months, ahead of time.
No wonder we are sometimes the laughing stock of the tourism community. The amount of work and efforts are just washed down the drain. Wake up Pattayans. It is time for more competent and dedicated people to work for our future and the future of tourism in Pattaya.
A big hand must be given though, for the effort put in by the people who cared. Given more guidance -if followed- this could become the greatest event in Thailand’s tourism scene.

Youths used in motorcycle thefts

Two pre-teenage boys were caught riding stolen motorcycles by the Crime Suppression Division of Pattaya at a checkpoint set up at Pattaya Klang junction on New Year’s Day.
The two youngsters, the first, a 12 year old named “Boy” and the second a 13 year old named “Joe”, were taken to Pattaya police station after an inspection of registration -papers of the motorcycles they were riding proved that they were stolen.
Upon interrogation, police discovered that both boys were not attending any school and had been lured into a motorcycle theft gang where they were taught techniques of theft. The boys were then told to go and watch parking lots at shopping malls for chances to steal motorcycles. They were successful from the first, and the money was good, so they continued in this life of crime until they were arrested.
Police have said that arresting these children will not solve the problem. The adult mastermind behind this is still luring other youngsters into a life of crime.

The two thieving youths were brought to Pattaya police station and most probably will be sent to the boy’s reform home.

Motorcycle theft thwarted

Noppadon Thiemsuwan, 17, was caught at Big C shopping centre attempting to steal a motorcycle belonging to Mr. Somnuk Phaipraphan, 35.
The Crime Suppression Division at Pattaya Police Station responded to the call to find Noppadon in the custody of Somnuk and a Big C security guard.
Somnuk told officers that he was shopping with his wife when he noticed that a young man was inserting a key into the ignition of his motorcycle which he could see from inside the mall. Running quickly downstairs he yelled to the security guard to stop the thief as the motorcycle was his.
The guard caught and held him until police came.
The thief, Noppadon, said he was a student at Sattahip University. He confessed that after watching a movie at the centre he had no transportation home. When he saw the new motorcycle, as he had always wanted one and this one was so new and pretty, he decided to take it.
Police are charging Noppadon with grand theft and he will face a court case.

Unrequited love leads to suicide

Chaiyapong Buakhai, aka Berm, 24, was found hanging from a roof beam in his home on Sukhumvit Road on January 4. Police report that he had hung himself with a length of wire.
Mr. Somchart Jaemsawang, 46, a vendor of magic toys who shared a room with the suicide victim, told police that Chaiyapong was from Ubon Ratchathani Province.
Somchart said he was out selling his wares when the suicide took place. Returning at about 3:00 a.m., Somchart said that the door to the room was ajar and upon entering, he saw Chaiyapong hanging from the beam. He quickly called for help, but neighbours arrived too late.
From questioning different sources, police learned that Chaiyapong had worked in a gay bar on Soi 2, North Pattaya. He had become infatuated with a female bar worker in a nearby bar, but the woman in question was infatuated with a rich Farang and had never shown any interest in Chaiyapong.
Chaiyapong had been begging the girl to fall in love with him for one year, to no avail. Despondent, he decided to go back to his home in Ubon, yet had no money to do so.

Teens arrested with drugs

Two local youths were arrested with stimulants last week by the Crime Suppression Division at a check point set up at a junction off Pattaya 3rd Road.
The two were arrested after police searched their car and found stimulant tablets and drug using equipment. The youths admitted to using drugs because they enjoyed it and had been addicted for a long time. They said when they saw police, they had tried to discard what they had but could not ditch the works in time.

Two drug using teenagers get processed at Pattaya police station.

Police recover floating corpse

January 3: Pattaya police recovered the body of an unidentified, approximately 20 year old female floating in the bay about 5 kilometres off Jomtien Beach.
The decapitated, arm-less corpse, about 150 centimetres tall, was wrapped in a sheet of dark green rubber fabric with an outer wrapping of a blanket tied around it with nylon cord. There was no identification or other evidence except for 1 five baht coin found in the body’s trouser pocket. Coroners say that the victim had been dead no less than 9 days.
Police conjecture that the woman had been murdered by someone who had brought her body from some distance and dumped it into the bay.
Police are still in the dark and are waiting for reports of missing daughters.

Tourist dies in vehicle accident

Leo Carrena (sic), 72, an Italian national, died on impact as a result of his motorcycle colliding with a speeding car at the Trakulpetch and North Pattaya Road junction.
Chamroen Thadawiwanthon, 35, the driver of the motorcar, said he had been driving along North Pattaya Road at a high speed. When he reached the junction, Leo’s motorcycle cut suddenly in front of him.
Police have arrested Chamroen and have charged him with reckless driving which led to the death of another.